Additionally Jensen Lewis, a former Tribe pitcher from 2007-10 who appeared part-time on Indians Live!, the station’s pre and post-game show, will assume full-time duties this year. The always affable Al Pawlowski will still anchor the show.

Akron native Andre Knott, a graduate of St. Vincent-Mary High School will join the team as an in-game reporter for broadcasts.

What to take from this? Stability. The Indians organization period has always been one of the most stable sports entities in town.

WEWS (Channel 5) became the pre-season home of the Cleveland Browns last November and with that contract came the promise that the team’s fans would get programming year-round.

That begins Sunday with the launch of two Browns-centric shows slated to air weekly on the station.

Inside the Cleveland Browns airs at 11 a.m. and will be hosted by former Ohio State Buckeye, NFL veteran and current co-host of The Bull and Fox Show on 92.3 the Fan (WKRK FM) weekdays from 2-7 p.m., Dustin Fox. He’s joined by Sara Carnes, a veteran of The Family Friendly Morning Show on The Fish (95.5 FM) daily.

The hardest working man in Cleveland’s sports media, Andy Baskin, sports director at Channel 5 joins host Nathan Zegura on Dawg Pound Report at 11:30 a.m. The show is billed as a resource for NFL news from the Browns and across the nation that will feature guests and analysts.

It’s Monday morning and Northeast Ohio can pick its collective jaw off the floor given that every football fan in the area has had the opportunity to absorb one fact – the Cleveland Browns sit alone in first place courtesy of their demolition of the Cincinnati Bengals and the New York Jets, coached by Browns coach Mike Pettine’s buddy Rex Ryan did the team a favor and knocked the Pittsburgh Steelers on their collective butts 20-13. I’m sure folks in Berea are saying: “Thanks, Rex!”

They are in sole possession of first place in division after midway point of season for 1st time in AFC North history, according to a spokesman.

The reality is the Browns played their way into the position. Quarterback Brian Hoyer’s done it despite calls from a vocal, rabid minority calling for the heir apparent, his backup Johnny Manziel.

When the Browns selected Manziel with the 22nd pick of this past spring’s draft, the talk was that Manziel would make the team relevant. Balderdash.

At first glance the consummation of a deal between DirecTV and the NFL, looks like little more than two broadcast partners renewing their wedding vows, something that couples who have been together for 20 years – like these two entities – sometimes do.

But there are other implications, the primary one being it paves the way for AT&T to continue its $48.5 billion pursuit of the satellite dish-based service, which Ma Bell began last Spring in hopes of expanding its reach. The two already have an agreement for AT&T to sell DirecTV’s services, so a merger makes perfect sense.

AT&T’s Internet based video service – U-Verse – provides them with 5.7 million subscribers, according to data from the National Cable & Telecommunication Association, an industry trade group. DirecTV has almost four times that number with 20.3 million.

For those who watched Keith Olbermann when he was on MSNBC in prime-time, his special comments were a thing to behold. No one does righteous indignation like Olbermann. For those who thought there was no place for a sports show that mirrored his Countdown show on that 24-hour news channel, they were wrong. In this special comment, he takes on the NFL, its commissioner, Roger Goodell, the Baltimore Ravens and everyone complicit in the Rice domestic abuse incident. He gets it right.

The Cleveland Indians began heating up after the All-Star break and the team’s television ratings on SportsTime Ohio have done the same, according to numbers provided by the regional cable channel.

The team’s last two games against the Detroit Tigers placed No. 1 in prime-time ratings. Wednesday night’s game reached 128,500 Northeastern Ohio households and Tuesday’s game reached 125,000 households.

The Indians, presumed out of it at the break, turned into team resurrection and have gone 24-19 since returning to play. They beat the Tigers 7-0 Wednesday night behind a sterling effort from pitcher Danny Salazar.

The Indians are 8-7 against Detroit in 2014 and climbed back within four games of the second AL Wild Card spot with last night's win. They face Detroit again tonight in hopes of earning a split in the four-game series. First pitch is at 7:05 tonight on SportsTime Ohio with that channel’s pre-game, Indians Live, beginning at 6:30.